Ciwan

Hi Guys

It is now 2 years since I got my 2011 6 Speed Brompton. I have ridden in wet weather a lot. These days I do bike maintenance weekly (clean chain and oil it, plus tyre pressure) however still when I change gear, the change is not sudden, it take it like a second or two, then it changes. My guess is that the cables have had so much dust and dirt in them, that movement is restricted.

So I would like to replace the brakes and gear cables. I have two questions:

1) How hard is it? Are there any instructional videos? Only one I can find was about how to position them (official brompton channel), not how to actually replace them.

2) Can you link me to the ones I need please? I go to SJS Cycles, but there are so many listed that I am worried I might buy the wrong ones

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

fietsbob

I have to guess about your Mechanical competence on this given your questions ..

Its not hard , but I started working on my own Bikes when JFK was still breathing.



Change which gear the 2 on the outside or the 3 inside the Hub?


no they are not sudden like a light switch , you are making an unrealistic demand ..

maybe you will like a High end Di2 race bike drivetrain better?


What side of the Atlantic are You?

maybe you can go back to the Dealer and say "make it So"

bhkyte

Brompton do ready made cable sets in the correct lenghts and afaik the cable inners are all Teflon lined ensuring this aspect is sorted, giving you a slicker cable that returns better than a standard inner. Essential on the long cable runs on a small compact folder.
If you want a slicker cable set up that will return better Teflon lined outer cables can be used, but these will need cutting to lenght. If you do this you need a good set of cable cutters.

Lastly add a touch of light lubricate even to a Teflon cable.

Ciwan

Thanks Bhkyte. The ready made ones from Brompton are what I'm after, but they have so many options on SJS Cycles, I don't know which is the correct set to buy for mine :/

fietsbob

Correct set is what came on it in the 1st place..

S bar set is shorter M Bar set is Longer , H ,longer still ..

The folks at SJS have an Email Address and A telephone to communicate with them directly .

Now, Brompton,
They have Bought Jagwire's housing and the Coated cables for their Manufacturing , Now..

It is possible, If you have sufficient Tools, to Cut nad finish Housing ends, and install replacement cables ,
matching what you Have already ,for length.. cable cutters , a file or bench grinder and so Forth.

One thing I am Mindful of , having worked on Women's Bikes that also have the brake cable in a U bend ,
entering from the Bottom of their side pull Brake caliper.. water Puddles in the housing..

The Bellows they add to Brompton's, now, Helps,
(I added some from V brakes to the Mk 2 I had for awhile),

But they are not always staying in Place ..

I just modified Mine , with the little doughnuts supplied other bikes, to keep open cable runs
from rattling against frame tubes.

... is what I filled the gap above the bellows boot,
so it stays in contact with the bottom , so as to resist water entry.

another possible Mod ; a split in the housing at its lowest point , joined with a sleeve to retain function,

But offering a Drain Point so water will leak back out.

Winfried

I'll piggy-back on the thread.

On a 2014 Brompton, I'd like to change the derailleur cable, ie the left-side shifter.

Even a 2mm hex key is too big to loosen the bolt:



How do you undo the cable?

Thank you.

--
Edit: It requires a 1,5mm hex key.

12boy

Going back the original post...slow shifting gears in the hub, not the two speed shifter can be addresses by putting a few ccs of oil in the hub through the right hand axle after taking the shifter rod out. I use synthetic 5-20 car oil that is liquid in all weather, and a little when the hub gets noisy again as it slowly seeps out.

avole

You get the right size key is the answer. Just changed mine with a key bought from Bricomarché, sans problème.

fietsbob

It's set screw..

avole

Apart from the fact this is incorrect - sounds like a faulty hub - I’d imagine that, after 4 years, the OP has this sorted.